How to Avoid The Lindsey Lohan Syndrome: Tips for Breaking Bad Habits

Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay. Just this morning, we found out Lohan was ordered back to court for violating her probation - rumor has it, she tested positive for alcohol. If we were her, here's how we'd shake our bad habits.

Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay. Just this morning, we found out Lohan was ordered back to court for violating her probation - rumor has it, she tested positive for alcohol. If we were her, here's how we'd shake our bad habits.

Maybe you’re not Hollywood’s number one party girl, but, like us, you’ve probably got an unhealthy habit or two. Of course, too many cookies for dinner isn’t quite the same as too many drinks at the bar, but you’re in luck – research shows it takes approximately 66 days to form a habit. So, whether good or bad, you can change your habits – and in less than three months!

Consider what you’re sacrificing. Staring at the screen may feel as natural as breathing, as many habits do. Although this type of reflexive action can be crucial when you need to make a lightning-fast judgment call (friend or foe?), it can backfire when it leads to a less beneficial choice (watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey). It’s essentially a default behavior, a rut that has persisted because it takes too much energy to change, explains Wray Herbert, author of On Second Thought. To stop, he suggests consciously thinking about what valuable resource the behavior is costing you. “We’re naturally inclined to value what’s scarce,” he says.

Become more aware. Saying yes may be the path of least resistance. Try signing up for a week of emails from HabitChanger.com , a site that uses cognitive-behavioral techniques to change semiautomatic habits. Specifically, you get a barrage of cheerleading or instructional texts and messages designed to interrupt your impulse. The hope is that once you become more tuned in to your typical behavior, you can change the way you respond.

Zen out. Simple meditation exercises, such as noticing your breath, can help you get off autopilot, says Martine Batchelor, author of Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits. Notice what I see, hear, smell and touch as you head out on the street: “Before you leave home, be aware of your hand on the stroller,” she says. She also suggests bringing something to sip, so you don’t associate Starbucks with a drink.

“The two main elements of meditation–concentration and inquiry–are key to getting control of your actions,” Batchelor explains. “Concentration helps because every time you come back to your breath, your body, a mantra or whatever your meditation is, you dissolve the habit’s power,” she notes. Inquiry, she says, is what follows. “It’s like a beam of light,” she says. “Normally, you find yourself at Starbucks before you think about it. With inquiry, you notice the details of the experience, you take the time to observe when and how the habit arises, and you become a little more aware that you don’t want to do it.”